Express Entry Quarterly Report 2019: Decrease in CRS cut-off score and increase in draw sizes lead to more ITAs

Express Entry third-quarterly report suggests that the federal government’s target to admit more than a million new permanent residents by the end of 2021 is right on track. 
The period from July 1 to September 30 was reported to be the busiest quarter so far in 2019 for issuing 21,600 invitations to the registered & eligible Express Entry candidates. The total number of Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for Canadian permanent residence in the first and second quarters was 21,200 and 20,600 respectively. 
Express Entry is regarded as Canada’s most popular immigration selection system and is also the largest driver of economic immigrants to the country. While a job offer in Canada is not necessary to submit an Express Entry profile, the candidate must satisfy the requirements of one of three federal immigration programs – the Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class or the Canadian Experience Class.
Express Entry pool manages the profiles of registered candidates which is then ranked according to a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The CRS score is determined by the candidate’s age, education qualification, skilled work experience and proficiency in English or French. Based on a regular draw, candidates with a score above the cut-off threshold are issued ITAs. 
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With the third-quarter ITAs taken into consideration, the total number of ITAs issued so far this year is 63,400. Two factors that lead to larger and more frequent draws could be an increase in draw sizes and a decrease in CRS cut-off scores.
 

Increase in draw sizes

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) introduces the incremental changes to the size of draws conducted through Express Entry every few months that was introduced last year. Thus, the third quarter of 2019 started by raising the number of ITAs issued per draw from 3,350 to 3,600 in the July 10 invitation round.
All six invitation rounds held between July and the end of September issued 3,600 ITAs each. 
However, the year 2018 ended with the current invitation record of 89,800. IRCC reached this milestone by increasing the number of ITAs issued to 3,900 throughout the final quarter of 2018. 
Given the federal government’s higher admission targets for 2019 and 2020, a new record for issuing the highest number of ITAs under the three federal high-skilled immigration programs and Canada’s Provincial Nominee Program, which is also partially managed by Express Entry, remains a possibility this year.  

 
Decrease in CRS cut-off scores
All the Express Entry draws in 2019 had CRS cut-off scores ranging between 450 and 470. The third quarter of 2019 was no exception as CRS cut-off scores varied from a low of 457 to a high of 466.
The decrease or increase in CRS cut-off score has something to do with the time interval between two successive Express Entry draws. In the case of the August 12 draw, 19 days passed before it was held and the CRS cut-off rose to 466 as a result, up from 459 in the previous draw. 
The following draw was held only eight days later, on August 20, and the CRS cut-off dropped nine points to 457. The cut-off score then increased to 463 in the next draw on September 4, a result of the 15 days that elapsed.
Registered candidates with CRS scores below the cut-off threshold can improve their chances of getting a provincial nomination through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Various Express Entry-linked provincial nomination streams were active in the third quarter from provinces such as Ontario, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Alberta, Manitoba, Prince Edward Islands. It had benefitted several such candidates with specific work experience. 
Are you wondering how to proceed with the Express Entry system? Are you still confused if the Provincial Nominee Program is best suited for you? We may have all the answers regarding your concerns on Canada immigration. Contact CanApprove before you start to plan your immigration to Canada!